Ash-sifter.



No. 674,5!3. Patented May 2|. l90l.

W. MGKEEVER.

ASH. SIFTER.

(Application'filed Mar. 31, 1900) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MCKEEVER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE -HALF TO JOSEPH A. BUTT, OF SAME PLACE.

ASH-SIFTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 674.513. dated May 21, 1901.

Application filed March 31, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM MOKEEVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented acertain new and useful Ash-Sifter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ash-sitters, and has for its object to produce a device of this kind which can be applied to an ordinary shovel in such manner that the ashes may be sifted before the shovel is removed from the stove or furnace, thereby permitting any dust which may be caused by the sifting operation to be drawn up with the draft and prevented from escaping into the room.

Vith this object in view myinvention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts of a sifter, as will be hereinaf- 2o ter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in each of the views in which they occur, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved ash-sifter applied to an ordinary shovel. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same detached. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the handle, showing the manner of attaching the sifter thereto.

0 Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view, and Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective. detail views.

' Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the sifter portion of my device, which is preferably formed from woven wire of any suitable mesh, although it is evi dent that the same could be formed from perforated sheet metal. The sifter is preferably made in the form of'a scoop and of a size adapted to fit within the scoop portion 40 of an ordinary shovel 2. l

The sifter is of a greaterdepth than the scoop of the shovel and has its upper edge provided with a suitable binding or strengthening strip 3, the rear portion of which is 5 preferably extended to form two levers or rocking bars 4. Near the scoop portion these levers are pivotally secured to the ends of a bail-shaped support 5, which is adapted to extend under the handle of the shovel for holding the sifter in position. Pivotally mounted upon a pivot-bar 6 is an angular Serial No. 10,966. (No model.)

clamp 7, the arms of which are slotted longitudinally, as shown at S, to permit of the necessary play or movement of the clamp upon the pivot-bar as it is being swung into and out of engagement with the upper portion of the shovel-handle.

A curved orsubstantially U-shaped spring 9 is rigidly secured to the flat bottom portion of the clamp and pivotally engages with the pivot-bar 6 at its opposite end, so as to nor mally force the bottom portion of the clam p as far away from the bar as possible, thereby causing the clamp to engage forcibly with the handle of the shovel and hold the sifter in position while it is being operated. Pivotally secured to the rear ends of the levers l is a reversely-curved lever 10 or operating device. The central portion of the leveris provided with a U-shaped bend 11,which extends below the shovel-handle, and the portions adjacent to each end are each provided With an inverted-U shape d bond 12, which projects above the handle of the shovel and also above the ends of the levers 4.

A knocker or bumper 13, as shown in Fig. 6, is secured to the forward ends of the binding-strip, so as to extend upward in position to engage with the furnace and cause the sifting operation to be more readily accomplished. The bumper is preferably formed from a piece of wire each end of which is bent at an angle and provided with an inwardly-extending pivot 14:, which is adapted to enter the perforations 15 in the binding-strip. One of the pivots is provided with an extension 16, which is bent at an angle thereto and has its tip provided with a short point 17, which is adapted to enter the perforation 18 in the binding-strip, so as to cause the bumper to stand vertically above the top of the sifter.

In operating my invention the handle of an ordinary shovel is inserted between the bail 5 and the clamp 7, preferably by turning the clamp upon its pivot, so as to be at a distance from the bail, and subsequently returning it to its normal position. In this manner the scoop of the sifter will be held in such position as to readily enter the scoop of the shovel, and the rear end of the shovel-handle will extend a sufficient distance to the rear of the operating-lever 10 to be grasped by the hand of the operator. Ihe scoop of the sifter is then forced down into the scoop of the shovel by the operator placing a finger underneath the bend 11 of the lever 10 and forcing it up toward the handle. In this position the shovel" is inserted under the grate and filled and then partially withdrawn. The operator then places the thumb upon either one of the U-shaped bends of the lever 10 projecting above the shovel-handle and forces it downward, so as to raise the scoop of the sifter out of the scoop of the shovel. In this position a few taps of the bumper against the grate in the furnace will cause the ashes to be entirely removed from the sifter into the scoop of the shovel. During the operation of sifting the shovel is retained in such position that any dust or ashes that might be caused to float in the air will be drawn up the flue and the process of sifting will be as cleanly as the ordinary plan of removing the ashes without the sifting. After the coal and other coarse material have been removed from the ashes the shovelis withdrawn from the furnace and the ashes emptied from the shovel, while the sifter is retained at such an angle, by continued pressure on the lever at the rear ends of the rocking .bars, as will prevent the escape of the coal. After the shovel has been emptied the contents of the sifter can be returned to the furnace or any desired receptacle, when the shovel and sifter can be again used as above described.

Although I have shown what I consider to be the most desirable construction for my improved ash-sifter, yet I reserve to myself the right to make such changes and alterations as will come within the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an ash-sifter, the combination, with a shovel provided with a handle, of a support, a spring-actuated clamp for holding the support upon the handle of the shovel, a sifter pivotally secured to the support, and a sifteroperating device connected to the sifter in rear of the support.

2. In an ash-sifter, the combination, with a shovel provided with a handle, of a support provided with a pivot-bar, an angular clamp pivotally mounted upon said bar, a spring connected with the clamp and the bar, and a sifter pivotally secured upon said bar, the rear portion of which is provided with an operating device.

3. In an ash-sifter, the combination, with a shovel'provided with a handle, of a bailshaped support, mounted upon the handle, a pivot-bar in the support, an angular clamp, the ends of which are slotted longitudinally and fit upon the bar, a curved spring rigidly secured to the clamp at one end, and pivotally engaging with the bar at the other, and a sifter pivotally secured upon said bar, the rear end of which is provided with anoperating device.

4. In an ash-sifter, the combination, with a shovel provided with a handle, of a support, mounted on the handle, two levers pivotally secured to the support, a scoop-shaped sifter secured to the forward ends of said levers, a knocker upon the sifter and a reversely-curved operating device pivotally secured to the rear ends of said levers, one portion of which extends below and another portion above the handle.

WILLIAM MCKEEVER.

\Vitnesses:

Jos. A. BUTT, WALTER SCRIVENS. 

